Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”
Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.
Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair — crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.
It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.
2010s Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain
2010s Australian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Travertine
1980s German Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Pewter
1990s American Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Leather, Tapestry
Late 20th Century Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
2010s British Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Art Glass, Blown Glass
20th Century Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Sterling Silver
1930s Italian Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass
1980s Czech Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century Austrian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
2010s Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Marble
Late 20th Century Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Romanian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Art Glass
Early 2000s North American Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Art Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Silver, Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Mexican Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Stone, Sterling Silver
20th Century Indian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Beads
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Silver
1980s Brazilian Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Metal, Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Brass
1930s Italian Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
1950s American Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Murano Glass
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
Early 20th Century American Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain
1960s French Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
20th Century French Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Crystal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain
1970s Austrian Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Murano Glass
1970s Mexican Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass, Art Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Romanian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Wood
1960s French Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Marble, Metal, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Porcelain
20th Century Mexican Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Stone, Sterling Silver
2010s German Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Crystal
2010s Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
1990s American Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass
20th Century Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Glass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass
Gold Plate